PROCESS FOR DEMULSIFICATION OF CRUDE OIL IN WATER EMULSIONS BY MEANS OF NATURAL OR SYNTHETIC AMINO ACID-BASED DEMULSIFIERS

摘要

The present invention is related to the breaking of preferred, but not exclusive, oil-in-water emulsions (O/W) and water separation from crude oil emulsions using surfactants as demulsifying agents derived from natural or synthetic amino acids, which are water soluble. Demonstrating its efficiency with the surfactants of the methanesulfonate series of glycine ester derivatives with hydrocarbon chains, preferably between C10 and C16, at a concentration between 450 and 900 ppm, at a temperature range of 30 to 60°C. The removal of water from the crude oil by using natural or synthetic amino acid-based demulsifiers is highly efficient (about 80%) and complemented with the action of an electric field typically used in electrostatic separators in crude oil terminals ad oil refineries, increasing the efficiency of water separation substantially, and enabling the production of dehydrated crude oil for further processing.